Solids, such as fibers, may be introduced into a flow that is pumped into a well for a number of different reasons. For example, fibers may be mixed with a proppant and a carrier fluid in a hydraulic fracturing operation for purposes of preventing settling of the proppant. Moreover, the fibers may create a more uniform distribution of the proppant over the fractures.
Fibers may be used in other oilfield applications, such as applications in which the fibers are mixed with cement. For example, in a well cementing operation, the fibers may contribute to the strength of the cement and enhance the rigidity and stress tolerance of the cement.
Fibers may also be combined with a gelling agent with or without other solids for purposes of fluid diversion. In this regard, a combined fiber and gelling agent mixture may be used to treat selected regions of a well to prevent/control fluid loss in the regions.
Fibers may be used in other oilfield applications, such as applications in which the fibers are selectively mixed with a carrier fluid and proppant to create different proppant-bearing zones in a well. In this regard, the fibers may be used to establish one or more segregated regions of the well, so that some regions contain proppant, whereas other regions do not.